Method of applying preformed liner to a metal container



Aug. 19, 1958 M. H. SWITZER 2,847,959

METHOD OF APPLYING PREFORMED 1.1mm To A mam. CONTAINER Filed Oct. .16.1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEY METHOD OF APPLYING PREFORMED LINER TO A METALCONTAINER Marshall H. Switzer, Glen Ellyn, Ill., assignor to ContinentalCan Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication October 16, 1953, Serial No. 386,446

4 Claims. (Cl. 113-120) The invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in a method of applying a preformed liner to a metalcontainer.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of removing the airfrom the space between the wall of a preformed liner inserted in thecontainer and the wall of the container so that the liner may beexpanded into and held in intimate contact with the wall of thecontainer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of the abovetype wherein the air is removed through a loosely formed first operationdouble seam joining an end to the body wall of the container, afterwhich the seam is tightly closed by the well known second operationseaming roll.

A still further object of the invention is to pressurize the interior ofthe liner to aid in removing the air surrounding the liner through theloosely formed double seam and for causing the intimate contact of theliner with the inner surface of the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of the above typeof attaching a preformed liner to the interior wall of the containerwherein a coating of adhesive is applied in part or to the entirecontacting surface between the liner and the wall of the container.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a containerwherein a preformed liner makes intimate contact with the walls of thecontainer.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of theinvention:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the container of thecone-top type showing a preformed liner inserted within the containerand attached to the upper end of the neck portion of the container.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the liner as expandedinto intimate contact with the inner surface of thewall of thecontainer.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the top end first operation doubleseam for loosely connecting-the container end to the container body.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the liner as expandedinto contact with the wall of the container and the second operationapplied to the seam for tightly closing the same.

The invention has to do with a method of providing a non-corrosive linerfor a sheet metal container. In the drawings there is illustrated oneform of container to which a liner has been applied. The containerincludes a body wall 1 having a lower end 2 secured thereto by a doubleseam 3. The top end of the container is coneshaped as indicated at 4.The upper end of the coneshaped portion 4 terminates in a neck portion 5which is shaped so as to provide a sealing lip 6 and a retainingshoulder 7 to which a closure cap may be attached for sealing thecontainer. This top end of the container is secured to the body wall 1by a double seam 8. In

' United States Patent Patented Aug. 19, 1958 forming a double seam theflange of the container end and the flange on the body wall are rolledby a first operation roll into a loosely formed seam and then the seamis sealed by rolling the loosely arranged parts into a tight seam by asecond operation roll. This is the usual way of forming a double seam.In Figures 1 and 3 the seams are shown as loosely rolled sufiiciently tohold the parts together but not to make a tight seam. The liner is madeof neoprene or any suitable, stretchable material which is imperviousand non-corrosive. The liner is first preformed so as to provide acylindrical body portion 9 and the closed lower end portion10. At theupper end of the preformed liner there is a thickened neck portion 11.The body of the preformed liner is inserted through the mouth of thecontainer and the thickened neck portion is folded back outwardly overthe lip of the container and beneath a shoulder 12 formed in the neckportion of the container. This outwardly folded portion of the linerextends beneath the shoulder as indicated at 13. After one or both ofthe ends of the container have been secured to the body wall by aloosely formed seam through which air may be drawn, then the containerwith the liner attached as shown in Figure l is placed in a chamber of aseaming machine, such for example as shown in the patent to G. L. ArdronNo. 2,183,903, December 19, 1939.

After the container has been placed in the chamber of the seamingmachine a vacuum is drawn on the chamber and this will draw air out ofthe space between the preformed liner and the body wall through theloosely formed double seam. The neck of the preformed liner is tightlysealed to the container and the drawing of the air from this spacebetween the liner and the body wall will cause the liner to expand untilit is brought into intimate contact with the wall of the container.Means is provided in the seaming machine so that atmospheric air mayenter the interior of the preformed liner. In fact, if desired, this airmay be under slight pressure to aid in the expanding of the preformedliner into intimate contact with the inner surface of the containerthroughout the entire area thereof. It is preferred that the top andbottom double seams be both loosely formed so as to insure intimatecontact with the inner surface of the container.

Very good contact may be had between the liner and the body wall of thecontainer by pressurizing the interior of the preformed liner. As theliner is expanded by the interior pressure thereon it will force the airin the space between the liner and the body wall out through the looselyformed double seam and allow the liner to make intimate contact with thebody Wall. This pressurizing of the interior of the preformed liner maybe accomplished by introducing gas under pressure into the containerafter which the loosely formed double seam is closed so as to seal thespace between the liner and the container wall, which insures that theliner will be retained in intimate contact with the body wall.

Pressurizing of the interior of the preformed liner may also beaccomplished by filling same with a liquid or semi-liquid product underpressure. The container may be sealed by applying a cap thereto forretaining pressure on the product. This filled container does not needto have the loose double seam closed because the pressure on the insideof the liner of the capped can keeps the liner in intimate contact withthe body wall.

While the invention is principally directed to a method of applying apreformed liner to a metal container, the method also produces a novelarticle, that is, a container having a preformed liner sealed to theopen neck end of the container and forced into intimate contact with thewall of the container by excluding the air from the space between theliner and the body wall through a loosely formed double seam and thencompleting the double seam by a second operation thereon. This sealingof the exit from the space with the air excluded therefrom will causethe liner to be retained in intimate contact with the body wall. Thisexcluding of the air from the space through the loose double seam may beaccomplished by drawing a vacuum on the space or by pressurizing theinterior surface of the liner and forcing the air from the space outthrough the loose double seam.

It is obvious that minor changes in the method disclosed and the articleproduced thereby may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of lining a container having top and bottom ends securedto the body wall by double seaming wherein the top end has a neckportion terminating in an opening comprising securing one of the ends tothe body portion by a loose first operation double seam, inserting apreformed liner of stretchable material into the container through saidneck opening, attaching and sealing the open end of the preformed linerto said neck portion, removing the air from between the liner and theinterior of the container through the loosely formed double seam so thatthe liner may be expanded into intimate contact with the interiorsurface of the container and closing the loosely formed double seam toprovide an air-tight seal therein immediately upon the removal of theair from the space between the liner and the wall of the container forpermanently holding the liner in contact with the wall of the container.

2. The method of lining a container having top and bottom ends securedto the body wall by double seaming wherein the top end has a neckportion terminating in an opening comprising securing one of the ends ofthe body portion by a loose first operation double seam, inserting apreformed liner of stretchable material into the container through saidneck opening, attaching and sealing the open end of the preformed linerto said neck portion, connecting the space between the preformed linerand the wall of the container through the loosely formed double seamwith a source of vacuum for withdrawing the air from said space andexpanding said liner into intimate contact with the interior surface ofthe wall of the container, and closing the loosely formed double seam toprovide an air-tight seal therein while the space between the liner andthe wall of the container is connected to the source for withdrawing theair thereby to maintain the vacuum necessary to hold the liner againstthe interior surface of the wall of the container.

3. The method of lining a container having top and bottom ends securedto the body wall by double seaming wherein the top end has a neckportion terminating in an opening comprising securing one of the ends tothe body portion by a loose first operation double seam, inserting apreformed liner of stretchable material into the container through saidneck opening, attaching and scaling the open end of the preformed linerto said neck portion, pressurizing the interior of the preformed linerfor expanding the liner and forcing the air out of the space between theliner and the body wall through the loosely formed double seam and theliner into intimate contact with the body wall and closing the looselyformed double seam to provide an air-tight seal therein while the lineris held in contact with the inner surface of the body wall.

4. The method of lining a container having top and bottom ends securedto the body wall by double seaming wherein the top end has a neckportion terminating in an opening comprising securing one of the ends tothe body portion by a loose first operation double scam, inserting apreformed liner of stretchable material into the container through saidopening, attaching and sealing the open end of the preformed liner tosaid neck portion, admitting a liquid or a semi-liquid under pressure tothe interior of the preformed liner for expanding the liner and forcingthe air out of the space between the liner and the body wall through theloosely formed double seam and the liner into intimate contact with thebody wall, applying a closure to the loose double seam to provide anair-tight seal thereat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

